Celebrating a long career

Nancy J. Colpaert had a chance to celebrate 36 years of library work with family, friends and colleagues during a reception held in her honor Sunday afternoon at Ellis Library & Reference Center.

There were a lot of smiles and stories as the party got started.

"She was always very passionate about her career," said her daughter, Katie Bourbina of Monroe. "The library was a huge part of our life."

Mrs. Colpaert retired Dec. 15 as director of Monroe County Library System. She ended her professional career with the intention of focusing her full-time attention on family needs. Her husband, Kenneth, had been ill for several months by that time.

Mr. Colpaert died Dec. 30, while under the care of hospice. Because of the circumstances, the retirement party that was being planned for the former librarian was postponed. By Sunday, Mrs. Colpaert welcomed the opportunity to celebrate her many years with the library.

As visitors asked what she had been doing lately, Mrs. Colpaert showed off a hanging quilt that she made that featured some of the T-shirts collected during her years in library service.

"I made it for today," she said with a smile.

She plans to make a second such memory quilt.

Also to mark her retirement, her friends and former coworkers had contributed stories for a scrapbook with stories, photos and newspaper clippings. The scrapbook was on a display table as guests checked in.

"What impressed me about Nancy Colpaert is that she really appreciated the staff at the front lines," Jennifer Grudnowski from the Dundee Branch Library wrote.

There were stories shared in the scrapbook about how Mrs. Colpaert inspired the Dorsch Branch Library staff to celebrate the historical, but somewhat infamous, "stinky" ginkgo tree on its property.

Other items on display included a formal portrait that she sat for shortly before leaving the job. Sunday was the first time the picture was on public display and it will join a gallery of portraits of former library directors at the Mary K. Daume Library Services building.

Mrs. Colpaert has a bachelor's degree in education from Eastern Michigan Unviersity, Ypsilanti, and a master's degree in library science from the University of Michigan.

She had been the Monroe County Library System director since 1999, and held several other positions within the system before then. Over the years, she had been involved with recent technology updates, expanding youth services, and the recent renovation of the Ellis Library, and many projects within the community. Her many awards have included the Michigan Library Association Lifetime Membership Award in 2008.

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